HIGH COUNCIL

The Inaugural session of the High Council of the Agricultural Development Fund took place on November 28, 2012. The High Council is composed of a total of 7 members, 2 of whom will be nominated by Da Afghanistan Bank and the Ministry of Higher Education. The constitution of the High Council legitimizes the ADF as a standalone financial institution and will open the doors for the ADF to access new funding and continue providing financial services to the agriculture sector.

H.E. Assadullah Zamir, Minister of Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock and Chairman of ADF High Council

Assadullah Zamir has professional and practical experience in economy, agriculture development, urban development, natural resources development and strategic planning, He has more than 14 years’ of experience in natural resources management, urban development, education with international institutions and private sector.Mr. Zamir holds a master degree in economy from university of California, USA, as well as holder of a master degree in management from Preston University, Pakistan, Strategic Management certificate from Management and Administration Institute, UK, certificate in natural resources management from Oxford University, UK and a certificate in Strategic Economy Development from American Management Association.

In addition to his higher education and world’s valid certificates Mr. Zamir has massive experience of the key positions in government and non-governmental institutions, worked as senior advisor with MRRD, Ministry of Education, Mines and Petroliam and as a program director with MAIL. This is to be stated that He has worked as an advisor with World Bank and USAID.

Mr. Zamir is an exceptional professional and expert in fund raising, development programs’ design and implementation, has numerous important and professional essays and translations in development subjects, public administration, and project management and natural resources especially for agricultural projects.

The Deputy Minister for Finance is in-charge of the General Budget Directorate, Treasury Directorate, and Fiscal Policy Directorate. In June 2005, he joined the ministry as Director General of Budget and led it successfully for almost four years. In January 2009, he assumed the current role.

Dr. Mastoor is the Alternate Governor of Afghanistan to the World Bank and one of the founders and Governor of Afghanistan in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He is a contributing member of many boards and working groups including g7+ –– an association of countries affected by conflict. He is the Chairman of the Board for Ariana Afghan Airlines and the National Rural Access Program’s (NRAP) Steering Committee, and Deputy Chairman of the Agricultural Development Fund. He also leads the Economic Working Group of the Afghanistan-US Strategic Partnership Agreement.

From 2000 to 2003, he had worked with international NGOs in important positions where he led strategic planning and budgeting, policy development, human resources, fund raising, grant financing, and project management. In 2003, he joined the Ministry of Health as a consultant for Grant and Contract Management unit, and promptly became the director of this unit. He managed donor programs, and developed the budget framework (over US$ 100 million) of the ministry. He was instrumental in providing insights and designing the first medium-term health policy and strategy. Today, the Basic Public Health Services (BPHS) is a success story.

Born in Kabul, Dr. Mastoor obtained his medical degree from the University of Kabul and Executive Master of Business Administration from Preston University, Peshawar. He worked in different hospitals and medical centers and provided technical assistance.

He has worked with a number of Afghan publications as a reporter, satire writer and a cartoonist. He is an avid golfer as well as the founder and the current President of the Afghanistan Golf Federation. He resides in Kabul.

Mr. Haidari has been with the MAIL since 1972 and before becoming a Deputy Minister, he was Director of plant protection and quarantine department and director of extension and agriculture development.

He holds a Master of Science in Agronomy from Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi, India. Mr. Haidari also received continue education from Karl Marx Higher Institute of Economics and Georgri Dimitove Agriculture Academy, Sofia Bulgaria.

He published different articles, research papers and books in different agriculture topics.

Mr. Wayne Nilsestuen,Director of the Office of AgricultureUSAID AfghanistanMember

Wayne Nilsestuen career spans four decades as a Foreign Service Officer with the United States Agency for International Development. He served as USAID Mission Director in Paraguay, Guatemala and Bolivia and Deputy Mission Director in Honduras and Bolivia. From 1973 to 2003 he worked as an Agricultural Development Officer, first in Pakistan and subsequently directing the Office of Agriculture in El Salvador and Senegal. Mr. Nilsestuen provided leadership in revitalized USAID/Guatemala’s agricultural development program, diversifying and intensifying small farmer agriculture linked to lucrative markets. He organized a donor working group dedicated to improving effectiveness of food security assistance and directed the program planning process, helping Guatemala to qualify for the Presidential Initiative, “Feed the Future,” focused on reducing rural poverty and chronic malnutrition.

As the U.S. Government’s representative on board of directors, Mr. Nilsestuen provided leadership in defining the governance and management structure of Guatemala’s debt-for-nature program focused on promoting sustainable tropical forestry management. He also assisted the Government of Paraguay to qualify for a debt-for nature program and develop program proposal that resulted in debt forgiveness for the Government of Paraguay.

He received his education in Afghanistan where he graduated in Political Science from Balkh University. After graduation, he pursued business interests in Russia and Germany, whilst at the same time furthering his professional career in business, management and economy related fields. With the social and economic situation in Afghanistan stabilizing, he returned in 2005. Since then economic and business development in his home country became both his passion and calling. He became instrumental in reforming the chamber system through the Chamber Reform Commission, which had been established to merge two national chambers. In 2008 Mohammad Qurban Haqjo became Chief Executive Officer of ACCI, currently working as director of Afghanistan Investment Support Agency.

Ms. Manezha Sukhanyar is the head of the Islamic Banking at Ghazanfar Bank. She was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. She graduated from International Islamic University Malaysia BBA (Hons) specialized in Finance in 2007 .She got her MBA in Islamic Banking and Finance from Graduate School of Management, International Islamic University Malaysia in 2011 and wrote her Master thesis under the supervision of well-known Malaysian Islamic Scholars on the area of Islamic Banking and Finance in Afghanistan. She has worked in various fields with the Embassy of I.R of Afghanistan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She has obtained extensive knowledge of Islamic Banking by participating in various conferences and seminars in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Moeen Ud Din SirajThe external Technical Member in AgricultureMember

Moeen Ud Din Siraj completed MSc (Hon)/ M.Phil in Agriculture from UAF, Pakistan with distinctions and MBA degree from India. He has more than 13 years experiences in Academic institutes, Private sector, Research and Development organizations, NGOs and Intergovernmental agency, in the field of Agricultural Research and extension, Program Development, Technical Cooperation Program, Management, Operations and in M&E for Result. After the completion of tenure in the WWF, ICARDA, CIP, OPEC/ CGIAR Group, at present Mr. Siraj has been working in FAO/UN in the capacity of Operations Director for Technical Cooperation Program in Afghanistan for last nine years. He has substantial contribution to the Seed Industry Development, Dairy Integrated Scheme, Land Cover mapping-2012 and Irrigation sector in Afghanistan. He is leading the biggest Operations of the Technical Cooperation of FAO in the world. Besides core assignments he is also:

Member of UN System Task Force in Afghanistan on Transitional Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking as Threats to Security and Stability;

Focal Point of Global FAO/UN Strategic Objectives in Afghanistan;

Task Force Member of Development Projects/Programme in FAO Afghanistan;

Peer reviewer of many national and international scientific journals.

Mr. Siraj has published 25 International scientific publications and 11 national publications.

He has received the rewards and appreciation from Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to UN, ICARDA/CGIAR, UNAMA, IDB, DAFI and FAO/UN in recognition's of his successes over the past years. He is renowned professional in Agriculture, Management and Leadership.